1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to disposable absorbent articles, and more particularly, to disposable absorbent articles with improved fasteners and leg gathers.
2. Background of the Related Art
Absorbent articles such as, for example, disposable diapers, adult incontinent pads, sanitary napkins, pantiliners, incontinent garments, etc. are generally worn, in cooperation with garments and disposed against a body surface by infants or adult incontinent individuals. The absorbent article is employed to collect and absorb body fluid discharge, such as, for example, blood, menses, urine, aqueous body fluids, mucus and cellular debris. For example, the absorbent article may be disposed between the legs of an individual adjacent a crotch area. The absorbent article is positioned with a garment and drawn into engagement with a body surface of the crotch area to collect fluid discharge.
As is known, absorbent articles typically include a fluid permeable coverstock for engaging the body surface, a fluid impermeable backsheet and an absorbent core supported therebetween. The backsheet serves as a moisture barrier to prevent fluid leakage to the garment. The absorbent core usually includes a liquid retention material that faces the body surface. The absorbent core can include, for example, loosely formed cellulosic fibers, such as wood pulp, for acquiring and storing fluid discharge.
Although the absorbent core typically is capable of absorbing and storing a relatively large quantity of body exudates, the rate at which body exudates are expelled, as well as the quantity of body exudates expelled, often can overwhelm the absorbent action of the absorbent core, resulting in unabsorbed body waste and fluids between the body of the wearer and the surface of the topsheet. Accordingly, many absorbent garments include standing leg gathers, inner leg gathers (“ILG's”) and other types of leg gathers to form leg-encircling barriers to the leakage of unabsorbed body exudates from the absorbent garment. The containment capabilities of these standing leg gathers typically are enhanced by including elastic elements along a portion of the length of the standing leg gather to provide a contractile force that further constricts the standing leg gather against the leg of the wearer, thereby reducing the ability of unabsorbed exudates to escape from between the leg of the wearer and the edge of the standing leg gather in contact with the leg of the wearer. In effect, the standing leg gather is intended to form a “gasket” between the body of the wearer and the absorbent garment, thereby inhibiting the leakage of body exudates. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,682,516 and 6,123,694, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Some of these leg gathers, however, suffer from performance drawbacks including poor fit with the body surface. These drawbacks can disadvantageously result in leakage and discomfort to the wearer.
Despite these and other efforts by absorbent garment manufacturers and others to provide suitable leg gathers for absorbent garments, there is still a need to provide a more functional, comfortable, and better fitting leg gather. These are just a few of the objectives that the preferred embodiments seek to address. Hence, it would be desirable to provide an absorbent article including leg gathers that improve fit, functionality as well as better waste containment. It would also be desirable if the absorbent article and its constituent parts are easily and more efficiently manufactured.
In addition, fastening of the absorbent articles with an individual requires the use of fasteners or ear members and closure tabs that extend laterally from the body of the absorbent article. In addition, the closure tabs typically include mechanical closure material, for example, hook and/or loop material, adhesive tape or the like. For example, in typical diaper-type garments, the garment is affixed to a wearer by attaching one or more of the closure tabs that extend across the wearer's hips to hold the back and front halves of the garment to one another.
Some of these absorbent articles, however, suffer from performance drawbacks including poor fit with the body surface. These drawbacks can disadvantageously result in leakage and discomfort to the wearer. Attempts to overcome these drawbacks include providing fasteners having mechanical closure systems that employ an elastic portion for customizing the fit of an absorbent article to a particular individual. However, these fasteners can be stretched in multiple directions along the body of an individual. This can disadvantageously result in an improper fit and alignment, leakage and discomfort to the wearer.
It would therefore be desirable to overcome the disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art by providing an absorbent article including fasteners that cooperate with leg gathers to improve waste containment and fit of the absorbent article to an individual. It would be desirable if the absorbent article and its constituent parts are easily and efficiently manufactured.
One typical absorbent article 70 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and includes a top sheet 72, a backsheet 74 and an absorbent core 76 therebetween, and leg gathers 80 (FIG. 2). Fasteners 78 are extensible in both the lateral 102 and longitudinal 100 directions (FIG. 2). There is concern that in use such fastener exerts opposing forces, which may pull the diaper downward, causing poor fit (FIG. 1). In addition, the relatively small fastener 78 is the only means for holding diaper 70 up (in place) and for providing coverage on the sides. Thus, fastener 78 and leg gather 80 may encircle the wearer's leg less than completely, resulting in poorer waste containment and fit. This is particularly so when the diaper's side panels 82, 84 shift in response to the movement of an active infant wearer. Because fastener 78 is small, the overall width of diaper 70 is made wide particularly along side panels 82, 84 in order to provide coverage. Accordingly, more material is required to manufacture diaper 70 along with increased production costs.